I Remember Merton
by DanaFox13
Summary: Merton’s former girlfriend, Caitence Flynn, reminisces about Merton’s life...This is my first BWOC fic, so please R&R!
1. INTRODUCTION: Sadness

Title: I Remember Merton  
  
Author: Dana Fox  
  
Summary: Merton's former girlfriend, Caitence Flynn, reminisces about Merton's life: from the time she first met him to the time of his death.  
  
WARNING: Obviously, character death (two people)  
  
Disclaimer: The characters of the ABC Family show Big Wolf on Campus are NOT mine, but Caitence Flynn IS. Although, I wouldn't mind if I owned Merton!!!! (  
  
NOTE: Every other part is in Caitence's point of view; the rest are written in third person (the introduction and the conclusion are written in third person). There'll be a little reminder of whose point of view it is at the beginning of each part. Also, this is just a 'trial-story'. That means that this story is just something I wrote to see is I could write about a character that wasn't in the show (Caitence). If it turns out that I can write well with this character, then there will be other stories including Caitence, but they will be as if this story had never happened (seeing as if it DID happen, Merton wouldn't be in any of them, and nobody wants that!! (). Enjoy!!  
  
INTRODUCTION: WRITTEN IN THIRD PERSON  
  
Caitence Flynn stood in the vast field that was the brand-new addition to the Pleasantville cemetery. Her fair-skinned face was streaked with tears as she looked at the crowd gathered around the new grave. 'He's only the second one to be buried here.' she thought. A figure, clad in a black suit, stepped up to Caitence's petite form.  
  
"I'm sorry Tommy." Caitence said as she put her hand on the figure's shoulder. "I know this is a lot to handle for you." Tommy nodded, his head still facing the snowy ground.  
  
"He was my best friend." He started to say. He was cut off by his own sobs. Caitence turned and embraced him. He cried into her shoulder.  
  
"Shhh.I know. He was mine, too." She bit back the tears that were ready to fall.  
  
"I can't." Tommy said, stepping out of Caitence's hug. "I can't stay here.It's too hard." His voice cracked from the tears. He regained his voice. "I lost two best friends in one year..." He glanced up at Caitence with the look of a small boy in his eyes. "Am I cursed?"  
  
"No.No, Tommy, your not cursed." Caitence answered, rubbing his shoulder with her hand. 'But perhaps I am." she thought.  
  
"I.I have to go..." Tommy said, turning to leave.  
  
"Do you want me to drive you?" Caitence asked, worried.  
  
"No.No, I'm fine." He responded.  
  
"Alright.You take care of yourself.I'll come and visit after the grave is closed."  
  
"OK." With that he walked away. As she watched him walk across the field, a single tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away. 'Merton wouldn't want me to cry.' she thought. 'Poor Tommy. He thinks it's all his fault. But it's not. If it weren't for him, I would have never met Merton. It's my fault, really.If I hadn't agreed to meet Merton, then he wouldn't have been at my place when Lori-' She stopped herself. She knew that Merton's death was no one's fault. 'He wouldn't want me to cry.' she thought again. 'He would want me to remember.' She paused. 'I remember when I first met him.' 


	2. PART ONE: Caitence Flynn

PART ONE: WRITTEN IN THIRD PERSON  
  
SETTING: 5 MONTHS BEFORE PREVIOUS CHAPTER  
  
"I don't know about this Tommy…" Merton said worriedly. "Last time you tried to set me up with someone, she turned out to be the president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance at school!"  
  
"Look, I PROMISE that this one is not at ALL like Sam, OK? Just trust me."  
  
"OK…What did you say her name was again? Caiten?"  
  
"Close…Caitence. I met her last year. She's not Goth, but-" He was cut off by Merton.  
  
"Not GOTH? Are you kidding me? What is she, a cheerleader or something? A tomboy? A prissy-miss? What, exactly, were you thinking when you set me, a hardcore Goth guy, up with a non-Goth girl? What were you smoking?"  
  
"Woah! Woah, Merton, RELAX! She's just a regular girl. She's not classified as anything!" Merton's face slumped into a guilty expression.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tommy. I'm just nervous. And I don't really feel like dating right now."  
  
"I know buddy-" Tommy's eyes widened in shock. "You…Merton Dingle, DON'T want to date?! What's wrong? Are you okay?!" Merton smiled.  
  
"Relax, Tommy. I don't know what's wrong. It just doesn't feel right for me to date. I don't know why…" He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe a woman would be good to have right now."  
  
"That's right, Merton. You're just down about Hyacinth, that's all. You're afraid that Caitence will be like her. Don't worry, Merton. She's not a supernatural being. Not that I know of, at least." He smirked. "You sure your OK about her not being Goth, right?"  
  
"I don't really care what she is as long as she's not a cheer-" He stopped when he spotted a girl walk in through the Factory doors. She was about 17 years old, 5' 2" tall, had short, chin-length brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing indigo colored jeans and a black sweater. She was looking around the room nervously. "Ya see, if the person you set me up with looked like that," he pointed to the girl. "Then we wouldn't have a problem!" Tommy was too busy checking out another girl by the bar to hear Merton. The girl that Tommy was talking to suddenly left with her boyfriend, so Tommy went back to looking around for Caitence.  
  
"Oh! There she is!" he pointed to the girl that Merton was ogling at. "Caitence!" He called out. The girl glanced over towards Tommy, smiled, and waved. She then began making her way through the crowds of people to their table.  
  
"Th-Th-THAT'S Caitence?!" Merton sputtered. Tommy smiled as if he had accomplished something incredibly important.  
  
"Heh…Yep." Merton tried desperately to close his gaping mouth as Caitence arrived at their table.  
  
"Hey!" She said happily as she hugged Tommy around the neck. "I haven't seen you in a while!" She let go when she saw Merton. "And you must be Merton Dingle. Nice to meet you. I'm Caitence Flynn." 


	3. Part Two: The Meeting

PART TWO: WRITTEN FROM CAITENCE'S POINT OF VEIW  
  
'Man, he's cute.' I thought as I shook hands with Merton. 'With my luck, he'll say that he's not Merton, and then my real date will show up. He'll be a 4 foot tall dwarf with a buzz cut and huge glasses who looks like he's 40 but he's really 17. Hey, since when do I think in run-on sentences?' I shook away my thoughts and smiled as I let go of black- haired boy's hand.  
  
"Well, I'll just leave you two to get acquainted," Tommy said, grabbing his coat from off the chair. "While I go and mingle. I'll see you guys later." He walked away from the table, disappearing into the crowd. Merton and I stood in awkward silence for a minute or two. Merton finally spoke up.  
  
"So, how did you meet Tommy?" He asked. 'Oh boy.' I thought. 'Why did he have to ask that question?'  
  
"Didn't.Didn't he tell you?" I questioned, trying as hard as I could to keep a straight face.  
  
"No. He just said that he'd met you last year."  
  
"Couldn't it stay like that?"  
  
"OK, now I REALLY wanna know." He shifted in his seat as if he were a cop about to ask a criminal his question. "How did you meet Tommy?" I sighed.  
  
"Alright. If you really wanna know.I was his fiancé." Merton spat out the drink that he was sipping. I giggled.  
  
"F-F-FIANCE???" He choked.  
  
"Well," I laughed. "Not officially. Ya see.My friend was having a party for the other juniors at her school, Pleasantville High. She invited me. So, me being the outcast in my school, of course I went. Well, I met Tommy and." I blushed. Merton's eyes bulged out as if he thought that if I stopped talking he'd die.  
  
"Go on!" he urged.  
  
"Well, we had a.few.drinks. Oh, alright, we were wasted! Anyway, one thing led to another and, in his drunken state of mind, he proposed to me!" I broke out into fits of laughter. So did Merton. "And.And the funny thing was," I managed to choke out through my giggles. "I said YES!!!" Neither of us was able to talk for a good five minutes; we were laughing too hard. After a while the laughter died down. "Well, you better believe Tommy and I made a pact that night to never touch alcohol again unless we were over 21!" We giggled some more. Then Merton's smirk faded.  
  
"Hey, you didn't.you know.date, did you?" He asked.  
  
"Date? Me and Tommy? No way! We've just been really good friends ever since." 'Way to go Cait! You ALMOST made a guy jealous!' I thought.  
  
"So.you say that you were an outcast in your school?" He asked. My smile faded.  
  
"Not were.ARE. I still go to that school and I still am! People think I'm weird. Eh, whatever. I've gotten used to it. You must be popular in your school, being friends with Tommy and all." I knew I was wrong in saying that as soon as I saw Merton's sad expression.  
  
"Yeah." He said quietly. I quickly changed the subject.  
  
"Well, I have to go.I have to baby-sit my neighbor's kid in." I glanced at my watch and went wide eyed." "10 minutes! I'm sorry, Merton. It was so incredibly nice to meet you! If you ever want to get together, here's my number." I took a pen out of my hand bag and scribbled my number on a nearby napkin. "Call me, 'kay?" Merton looked astonished.  
  
"O.OK. We can do something Friday. Alright?"  
  
"Sure, I'll see you then! Bye!" I said as I scuffled towards the door. As I left I could see Tommy talking to Merton in the corner of my eye. By what Tommy had told me about Merton, he should have been jumping up and down with joy by now, but he was just answering Tommy calmly with a smile on his face. 'Oh Cait.I hope you didn't blow it!' I thought as I ran out the door. 


	4. Part Three: To Call or Not to Call? (EXT...

PART THREE: WRITTEN IN THIRD PERSON  
  
Merton paced around the Lair. In his hand he held Caitence's number. "Should I call or not?" he asked himself out loud. He stopped pacing and looking into space. His brow furrowed. "What's wrong with me? Of course I'll call!" he laughed as he grabbed the phone. He dialed Caitence's number and waited for her to pick up.  
  
"Hi, Caitence? This is Merton. How 'bout I take you to the Hungry Bucket on Friday? Eight sound OK? Good. See ya then. Bye!" 


	5. Part Four: The Date

PART FOUR: WRITTEN IN CAITENCE'S POINT OF VEIW  
  
I stepped out of the shower and looked at my watch. '7:30. I got plenty of time!' I thought. I was just pulling on my robe when my doorbell rang. I jumped. "Wh-Who is it?" I called in a shaky voice.  
  
"It's Merton!" came a voice through the door. 'Oh Crap!' I thought. I had forgotten that my watch was a half-hour slow.  
  
"Um…Just a minute!" I yelled as I pulled on my jean shorts and T- shirt. I unconsciously wrapped a towel around my head and ran to the door. "Hello! It's nice ot see you!" Came my over-enthusiastic response. He looked at me strangely.  
  
"Um…hi. Hey, ya know, I could come back later if you want…" Merton said, his eyes trailing up to the towel that I had instictivly put on my head. I noticed it right away and pulled it off quickly.  
  
"Oh no! Come on in. I'll be ready in a few." Merton stepped into my apartment and sat on the couch. "You can watch some TV if you want…" I said as I handed him the remote. He shook his head.  
  
"Naw, I'll just wait."  
  
"OK, I wont be long." I went into the bathroom and took the hair dryer out of the drawer.  
  
"So!" Merton yelled over the hair dryer. "How have you been?!"  
  
"Fine, I guess! My mom and dad went to Miami on vacation without me, but I'm coping!" I yelled back. I clicked off the dryer and pulled my hair into a half ponytail. I took out my makeup bag.  
  
"Ugh. School sucks, don't it?" He laughed. I smirked as I applied the last of my makeup to my face. I curled a stray piece of hair under my chin and turned to leave the bathroom. I turned towards the couch.  
  
"Yeah. Anyway, I'm all set. Let's go."  
  
We arrived at The Hungry Bucket at around 8:15. We took a seat near the register. We were carrying on a pretty heated discussion about 'Boxers or Briefs?' when two brown haired boys came up to the table. They wore matching T-shirts that read 'TnT' on them. They both looked about 18 or 19.  
  
"Hey, Dingle," the taller one said, attempting to sound threatening. "Who's this, your adopted cousin or something?" The smaller one laughed at the other's 'joke'.  
  
"For your information, Travis, she's my date. So lay off." Merton said curtly.  
  
"Your date? Yeah, right, and Santa has reindeers." They both laughed until the smaller of the two got a confused look on his face.  
  
"Um, Travis?" He said. "Santa does have reindeers." Merton and I stifled a giggle.  
  
"Shut up, Tim! Anyway, this can't be Dingle's date." Travis leaned down to my eye level. "Why don't I take you somewhere a little less dorky, little lady?" he asked.  
  
"And why don't you," I said, poking him in the ribs and standing up, "watch out."  
  
"Huh?" WHAM! My fist landed headfirst into his stomach. I turned to Tim.  
  
"You want some too? Cause I got plenty." He shook his head as he grabbed his panting partner and quickly ran away.  
  
"Wow…" Merton started to say, "How did you do that?!"  
  
"Eh, nothing special…" I said, not wanting to brag. "People bug me all the time in my town…I've learned to defend myself, that's all. Haven't you?" Merton laughed.  
  
"Me? Defend myself? HA! Might as well expect a whale to ask me out on a date down in the merry old deep blue sea! Merton's face went blank as he finished the sentence. "OK, not a very good analogy, but…" He smiled. After a few minutes we finished eating. "You wanna go for a walk?" Merton asked.  
  
"Sure." I said as we stood up. Merton put his elbow out for me to take. I looped my arm through it and we began walking down the street towards my apartment building.  
  
"Well, here we are," Merton sighed as I unlocked and opened my door. I stepped into the threshold and turned to face him.  
  
"Thank you for a wonderful night," I said, looking into his eyes.  
  
"Eh, it was no problem." He responded. Everything was quiet for a moment. He leaned in to kiss me. I began to lean in to meet him, but he suddenly drew back. "I-I'll see you later." He said awkwardly before he turned and walked down the hall. I stood in the doorway, puzzled. 'What did I do?' I thought. I slowly turned and shut the door behind me. 


	6. Part Five: Realization

PART FIVE: WRITTEN IN THIRD PERSON  
  
Merton walked out to his hearse. As he drove, his mind could only dwell on one thought" 'What's wrong with me?' he thought.  
  
THREE MONTHS LATER  
  
Before Merton knew it, three months had passed. Caitence and he had had many times together, but Merton still had that weird feeling that he didn't want to date. He liked Cait, but he felt that there was something missing…  
  
Merton woke up on cold Friday morning in November. "What time is it…?" he asked no one in particular. He glanced at the clock by his bed and his eyes snapped open. "8:00?! I'm gonna be late for school!" He shrieked, sitting up. He jumped out of bed and pulled his pants and shirt out of his drawer. He yanked his pants on over his boxers and pulled his shirt on over his head. He grabbed his backpack and, with a quick look in the mirror to fix his hair, he ran out the door, only to realize that he had forgotten to brush his teeth. He bolted back into his room and grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste. 'I'll do it in school.' He thought.  
  
When he arrived, he was surprisingly early. Hardly anybody was there yet. He made his way to the boys' bathroom to brush his teeth. When he emerged again and went to his locker, Tommy and Lori were waiting for him.  
  
"Hey guys," Merton said as he opened his locker and got some books out.  
  
"Hey." Lori and Tommy said in unison. 'For some reason,' Merton thought to himself as he closed his locker, 'Lori has been looking much prettier lately.'  
  
"What are you looking at?" Lori asked. Merton jumped. He didn't even realize that he had been staring at her.  
  
"Huh? Oh, nothing." He said as he blushed. To his delight, the bell rang  
  
before anybody noticed. "Gotta go!" he said a little too enthusiastically as he rushed off. 'Me and Lori?!' he questioned himself, 'is that why I've been acting so weird lately?' He stopped to think for a moment. "Nah…" he said out loud as he finished walking too class.  
  
Soon it was lunch time. "Hey, Merton," Lori asked. "Do you wanna hang out at the Factory tonight? Tommy's going to a Patriot's game and I have nothing to do." Merton's head rushed with thoughts. 'Is she asking me out?! No, it's just a friendly get-together, right? But she never asks me anywhere. She knows I have a girlfriend…doesn't she?  
  
"Merton?" Lori asked again, "Yes or no?"  
  
"Um…sure…" Merton's head interrupted again. 'If she says I can bring Cait, then it can't be a date! But I don't want to bring-' "Can I bring Cait?" he blurted out before he could finish thinking. Lori's face saddened a little.  
  
"Yeah, I guess…" she said. 'Is she jealous?' Merton thought. 'Over me? Nah…'  
  
"Alright, then it's a date." He said. 'Did I just say 'it's a date?' "Daiiii mean…It's a-" At that moment the bell rang. "See you tonight, Lori." Merton called over all noise of student leaving the cafeteria.  
  
Merton knew it was true by the end of the day. He had gone through all of the signs that he had unconsciously given off over the months, and it all added up. Apparently, Tommy had noticed, too, for as Merton walked out to his hearse after school, Tommy followed. "Merton, what's going on with you? Why have you been so quiet all day?" he asked. Merton would've gotten into the car and driven off, allowing Tommy's curiosity to eat him alive, but he had to tell somebody.  
  
"Get in the car." Merton said shortly.  
  
"Huh?" replied Tommy, surprised to hear Merton's oh-so-direct tone.  
  
"Just get in…" Merton said, letting off a little smile.  
  
"Alright." Tommy said, happy to see that Merton wasn't mad like he had suspected. Merton unlocked the doors and they both climbed in. As they left the school parking lot, Tommy suddenly remembered why he was in Merton's car. "So, why exactly have you been acting so weird lately?"  
  
"You're not gonna believe this," Merton beamed.  
  
"What?! Tell me already! The suspense is killing me!" Tommy said eagerly. Merton hesitated for a moment before answering:  
  
"I'm in love." With that, Tommy laughed. Then he saw Merton's serious expression.  
  
"You're…You're serious?!" Tommy gasped. "You're in love with Cait? I knew I made the right choice when I set you two up!" Merton looked at him, his smile gone.  
  
"No, Tommy. I'm in love with Lori." Tommy's happy expression changed to awe.  
  
"Re…Really? Like, love love?" Merton nodded. "How do you know?"  
  
"Well," Merton started, "Remember when I didn't want to date?" Now it was Tommy's turn to nod his head. "I was in love with Lori, but I didn't know it."  
  
"Well, I guess you better tell Cait, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," Merton replied solemnly, "But I can't tonight. I called her about the Factory and she has to leave early because she's going to her Grandma's in the next state this weekend. If I told her tonight, it'd have to be in front of Lori."  
  
"Well, man, you gotta tell Lori sometime, too."  
  
"Me?! Tell Lori that I'm in LOVE with her?! I can't tell her…I was just planning to stay single for the rest of my life." Merton said, smirking.  
  
"Well, I dunno man…she did seem kinda jealous last time…remember Hyacinth? And she also seemed sad when you asked if you could bring Cait tonight. Just tell her. Lori's not so mean that she's make fun of you for this."  
  
"Yeah…Ya know what? I will! But, Cait first." Tommy patted his friend on the shoulder as the hearse pulled up to Tommy's house. He unbuckled his seat belt, grabbed his bag, and stepped outside the car.  
  
"Good luck, man. See ya on Monday."  
  
It was almost time to go to the Factory. Merton stood in front of the mirror putting the finishing touches on his hair. When he was done, he grabbed his keys and hurried out the door.  
  
When he arrived, he spotted Lori and Caitence sitting at a table near the bowling alleys. They weren't talking; they just seemed to be sitting there, sipping their drinks awkwardly. Every once in a while, they would make eye contact. When this happened, Cait would beam; as if trying to make conversation silently. Lori would give her an obviously fake smile that would crumble into a sneer when Cait wasn't looking. Merton stood there for a moment, staring that Lori with her shoulder length golden hair which she was wearing in two pigtails. Then he glanced over at Cait. 'She has no idea what's going on…' he thought. 'She's so innocent…how can I break her heart like this?' he paused for a moment. 'Maybe I can get myself to fall in love with her…yeah! I'll surprise her at her grandmother's house this weekend and I'll see what happens…if worst comes to worst, I'll just think of some way to tell Lori-' At that moment he realized that the girls were staring at him from their table. He shook away his thoughts and strided across the room. "Hey," he greeted them as he reached the table.  
  
"Hi! We were watching you. What were you doing?" Lori asked.  
  
"Just thinking." He turned to Caitence. "Hey hon." He said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Neither Merton nor Cait noticed, but when he did this Lori frowned and turned away.  
  
After and hour or two with hardly any conversation going on between Lori and Cait with out Merton's help, Cait suddenly got up.  
  
"I didn't realize how late it was…I have to go." She took her coat and purse off the chair. "I'll see you guys when I get back." She smiled at Lori. Lori was apparently caught off guard with this, for Cait noticed the sneer on her face quickly change to a fake smile. She ignored it and went over to Merton. "I'll see you later, babe." She said as she hugged him. She waved, turned, and walked out the door.  
  
"Good riddance." Lori said under her breath.  
  
"What?" Merton asked, turning back to her.  
  
"Oh, nothing."  
  
"Oh, OK, well, I have to go home and clean my room. My mom said that if I don't do it by tonight then she'll kick me out of the house." Merton said, smiling. There was a moment of awkward silence as their eyes were locked on each other. Merton suddenly moved away from the table, grabbing his jacket. "I'll see you on Monday, Lori."  
  
"OK, see you then."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye." Merton slowly turned and walked out the door. 'This will be harder then I expected.' He thought as he passed through the doors of The Factory. 


	7. PART SIX: The Visit

PART SIX: WRITTEN IN CAITENCE'S POINT OF VEIW  
  
I sat in my grandma's basement on Saturday night talking to my friend, Riley Wood, on the phone. Grandma had gone to bed hours ago and me, being the insomniac that I am, had snuck down to her den. I glanced at my watch, expecting to see a big '12:00' staring back at me, but to my surprise: "Only 8:00?!" I thought out loud.  
  
"What?" Riley asked.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Anyway, what was I saying?"  
  
"You were talking about how much you think Lori hates you."  
  
"Oh yeah! Anyway, I caught her sneering at me! I think that she's jealous of me and Merton. I'm also beginning to think that Merton feels the same way."  
  
"Jealous?"  
  
"No, Riley, I'm beginning to think that he might like her back." At that moment there was a knock on the door. "Oh, Riles, I'm gonna have to call you back. I'll see you soon. Bye." I hung up the phone and went to the door. "Who is it?" I called.  
  
"It's Merton!"  
  
"Merton?!" I shrieked, springing out of my chair. I flung open the door. "What are you doing here?" I asked ecstatically.  
  
"I just came by to say hello," he said, hugging me. I hugged him back and suddenly realized that he was still standing outside.  
  
"Oh, come in!" I said, letting go of him. As he stepped inside, I added, "Grandma fell asleep a while ago." Merton came in and grabbed the clicker on the couch. He clicked off the TV and spun around, revealing that he held something behind his back. It was a CD.  
  
"I burned this for you," he said, handing me the disk. I took it and looked at the back of the case.  
  
"Oh! These are really good songs! They're all so-"  
  
"Romantic? That's the idea," Merton interrupted. "I thought that we could dance to them…" he said timidly. I laughed.  
  
"Dance? Me? I don't know how!"  
  
"Neither do I." He answered, holding out his hand, I took it as he led me over to the CD player. I put the CD in the machine and we moved out to the middle of the floor. I put my hand on his shoulder as he put his on my waist. The CD started. The song was 'Hero' by Enrique Iglesias.  
  
1 Would you dance  
  
If I asked you to dance?  
  
"Apparently, yes." I said, grinning.  
  
2 Or would you run  
  
And never look back?  
  
Would you cry  
  
If you saw me cryin'?  
  
Would you save my soul tonight?  
  
"You know what, Merton?" I asked,  
  
"What?"  
  
"In the 3 months that we've been dating, we've never shared a real kiss."  
  
"Well, we'll have to fix that, wont we?" he said quietly.  
  
3 Would you tremble  
  
If I touched your lips?  
  
Or would you laugh  
  
Oh please tell me this  
  
He leaned in. I closed my eyes and filled the space between out faces.  
  
4 Would you die  
  
For the one you love?  
  
Hold me in your arms tonight  
  
After a moment, Merton suddenly opened his eyes and abruptly broke the kiss as he let go of me.  
  
"I can't do this," he said. 'Do what?' I thought as my expression changed from pleased to confused.  
  
"There's something I have to tell you," 'Please don't say he's gay!' I thought as he led me to the couch and sat me down. "I only realized this today…I tried to change it, but I can't." He sat down next to me. "Cait, I'm in love with Lori. I have been for a really long time, I just didn't know it." Merton said. My heart dropped. 'Well, at least he's not gay…'  
  
"Oh, Merton," I said, smiling. "Don't you know that you can't change love?" Merton looked puzzled.  
  
"Are….aren't you mad at me?" He said timidly. I laughed.  
  
"Mad? Of course not! I'd be mad if you were cheating on me. The fact that you tried to change who you loved for me is more then enough to make me not be mad at you." Merton smiled.  
  
"So, we're still friends?" He asked.  
  
"Of course!" I said as I hugged him. There was silence for a while afterwards. I broke it by asking a question. "Does Lori know?"  
  
"No, not yet…" he said quietly, looking at his shoes.  
  
"Well," I said, getting up. "What are you waiting for?" He looked up at me. "Go get her!" He stood up with my words of enthusiasm, grinning broadly.  
  
"I will! Thanks Cait, say hi to your grandma for me." He said, moving towards the door and removing his keys from his pocket.  
  
"No problem. See ya." I responded. He opened the door, looked back, and smiled. He waved and went out the door, closing it behind him. I was left in silence besides the CD that was still playing 'You Are So Beautiful' in the background. I sat down with a lighter heart then I had expected. 'At lest I helped someone out…' I thought as I clicked the TV on again. 


	8. PART SEVEN: Tradgedy

PART SEVEN: TRADGEDY  
  
Merton sped down the road, quickly passing by the 'Welcome to Pleasantville' sign at about 9:30. In his head, he went over and over what he was going to say to Lori. "I love you….No, too direct…" He practiced out loud. "Lori, I have something to tell you…" He shook his head. "She might think I'm gonna tell her that I'm gay." At that moment, he looked out his window to see a bunch of police cars and a fire engine parked around an accident scene. His brow furrowed as he squinted to see what had happened. He saw some blood on the pavement. 'I hope it's not someone I know,' he thought. 'I'd better find out.' He parked his hearse and got out.  
  
"Sir, you're not allowed to pass this point," A police officer said as he stopped Merton from going over to the scene.  
  
"Oh, well I just want to know what happened."  
  
"Well, ok, I have time. A girl was hit by a drunk driver. Pretty badly, too. Landed right on her head. The driver was caught, but the girl is in critical condition at the hospital."  
  
"Do you know who she is?" Merton inquired, getting a little worried.  
  
"Oh, yeah. The hospital identified her as…" he checked the clipboard he was holding. "Lori Baxter." Merton's eyes bulged.  
  
"L-Lori Baxter?! What hospital?!"  
  
"Pleasantville East." The cop barely finished before Merton jumped into his car and sped away.  
  
When he arrived about 15 minutes later, he ran to the front desk. "Could you tell me what room Lori Baxter was brought to?" He asked frantically.  
  
"Ah, the car accident girl. Sure…" The receptionist said in an extremely slow voice. She clicked away on her keyboard before coming up with the answer. "256."  
  
"Thank you." Merton breathed as he sped towards the elevator.  
  
When he arrived, the door was open. He charged in. Tommy was already there, along with Lori's parents.  
  
"Where is she?!" he asked, trying to run in. Tommy put his hands on Merton's shoulders, restraining him.  
  
"Woah! Merton! What are you doing here? I thought you were with Caitence!" he asked.  
  
"I was but I came back. How is she?"  
  
"Tommy shook his head.  
  
"Not good…she's unconscious." The two men had to move aside for a moment as Lori's parents left, the sight of their daughter too much to bear. Merton took the opportunity to break out of Tommy's hold. "Merton," Tommy said, turning around. Merton didn't answer. He looked down at Lori. Her face was pale and her hair was messy against her pillow. She had a tube going down her throat and one in her arm. He couldn't hold his tears back any longer. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "Merton," Tommy said again.  
  
"Just leave me alone, Tommy!" Merton half-yelled, half-cried, his voice cracking from the tears. He put his face in his hands. Tommy watched as his friend fell to his knees. The top half of his body fell onto the bed, his face buried in his arms. Merton's body shook with huge, faintly vocal sobs. Tommy hated to leave him like this, but he needed to. He turned and went out the door, closing it behind him.  
  
A month passed. Lori had fallen in and out of consciousness, but she still wasn't doing well at all. Merton had been there everyday, watching her condition deteriorate with each one. Today had been no different. "Merry Christmas, Lori," he said, looking down at her. "I know I've told you this many times," He knelt beside the bed. "But I'm gonna keep saying it until you can hear me." He closed his eyes. Because of this, he didn't notice when Lori opened hers. He continued, "I've felt this way for a very, very long time, but I didn't know it…what I'm trying to say is…" He signed, opening his eyes but still looking away. "I love you, Lori." He turned back to look at her face, only to find her looking right back at him, smiling. He was astonished. "Lori?!"  
  
"I love you too, Merton." She whispered. Merton started to cry. He looked at her for a moment before standing up and leaning in for their second kiss. Lori kissed back for a moment or two, tears also rolling down her cheeks. When Merton stood up again, he realized that she had stopped breathing and her heart monitor had gone flat. He panicked.  
  
"Nurse!!!" He yelled, pushing the button above the bed. He put his hands around Lori's pale face. "Please don't leave me…" he cried, his face soaked with tears. "Come back…please…" 


	9. PART EIGHT: The Blame Game

PART EIGHT: THE BLAME GAME  
  
I stood next to Merton. We were about 30 feet from the gravesite. Merton hadn't shed a tear yet, nor had he said a word to anyone. As Tommy was giving a speech, I broke the silence between us.  
  
"I'm sorry, Merton," With that a single tear rolled down his face. "It's not your fault." He turned to me.  
  
"No, it's not my fault…" I patted him on the shoulder. He shook it off, stepping a few feet away from me. His face held a look of pure anger and confusion. "It's yours."  
  
"What?" I asked, surprised.  
  
"If I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have been at your house when Lori was hurt! Better yet, if I hadn't met you, maybe I would've realized that I loved Lori sooner and she would've been at my house when that psychopath was driving down that street!" I started to cry at his hurtful words.  
  
"Merton, I-"  
  
"No! Don't say anything! It's all your fault! I wish that I had never met you!" he yelled through his tears. "It's your fault!" He turned and walked towards the parking lot. I stood there in awe. 'Maybe it really is my fault…' I thought. Tommy had obviously seen noticed the scene Merton had created because he was now running towards me. I collapsed into his arms and cried. "It's my fault! It's my fau-hal-alt…" I sobbed into his chest.  
  
"Shhh…no, it's not your fault, Cait…Merton just doesn't handle things well…" Tommy said, burying his face into my hair. Even with his kind words, I still sobbed the same words over and over into his shirt.  
  
"It's my fault…" 


	10. PART NINE: Nothing Left

PART NINE: NOTHING LEFT  
  
Merton sat in his room two days later. He, Tommy, and Caitence had been excused from school that week. In his hands, he held a picture of Lori that he had always kept next to one of Tommy on his desk. His radio played 'Distance' by Even and Jaron softly in the background.  
  
The sky has lost its color,  
  
The sun has turned to gray  
  
At least that's how it feels to me,  
  
Whenever you're away.  
  
He hadn't cried in days. There were no tears left. He hadn't come out of his room except to eat and use the bathroom. He had shut the doors to his room, but not bothered to lock them. He figured that if someone broke in and kidnapped him, it would be a blessing compared to what he was going through now.  
  
1 I curl up in the corner  
  
As I watch the minutes pass.  
  
Each one brings me closer to  
  
The time when you'll be back  
  
You're coming back  
  
He suddenly stood straight up and threw a baseball at the radio. It clicked off with a bang. "She's not coming back! NEVER!!!" He yelled. He turned to his desk. "There's nothing left for me…" he said. He took out a piece of paper and a pen. He wrote something on the paper. After 15 minutes, he was done. He opened his desk drawer, which held the gun that he had taken from his father's hiding place a few days before… 


	11. PART TEN: Too Late

PART TEN: TOO LATE  
  
I stood out side of Merton's door. I had to talk to him, just to see how he was doing. I raised my fist to the door to knock, when all of a sudden, a gunshot rang through the air. I jumped back and, when I realized that the noise had come from inside, I flung the door open. "Merton?" I yelled. My eyes fell upon the floor. Merton lay there, not moving, with a puddle of blood forming under his head. A gun lay in his hand. Becky appeared in the doorway, obviously to see where the noise had come from. When she saw her brother, she began screaming bloody murder. I ran over to Merton and checked his pulse. Nothing. "Becky! Call 911!" She didn't hear me over he screaming. "BECKY! Do it now!" Her screaming slowly reduced to worried whimpers as she ran up the stairs to the phone. "Oh please no…Please, God no…" I chanted as I held Merton's limp hand in mine. 


	12. PART ELEVEN: The Note

PART ELEVAN: THE NOTE  
  
SETTING: SAME AS INTRODUCTION  
  
Caitence didn't realize it, but she had begun to cry again. She wiped away her tears as she stopped remembering. 'I can't go on if I only remember the sad times with Merton…' she thought. Becky walked up to her. "They want you to say a few words," she said sadly. Caitence nodded. "And…" she added, "They want you to read this." She pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Caitence. It was Merton's note. She noticed that Becky had begun crying. Caitence placed her hands on Becky's shoulders.  
  
"He was a good man." Cait said. Becky nodded. Cait turned and began walking towards the podium in front of the grave. When she arrived, she stepped up to the microphone.  
  
"Hello. My name is Caitence Flynn. I have been asked to say a few words." She began. She took a deep breath and continued. "I didn't know Merton Dingle for that long…4 months to be exact, but I knew him long enough to know that he was a loving brother and a loyal friend…" With these words, she began to tear up. "I…I was asked to read this note that he left us…" She unfolded the note and read: "To whom it may concern: I'm gone. I didn't do this to make anyone guilty. Nor did I do it to get away from anything. I did this to get back to someone who had left me. I would like to say a few things to my friends and family: Becky-You were a wonderful sister, even though you made fun of me half the time. I love you. Tommy- You were my best friend. Thank you for being there for me all the time. Mom & Dad- I love you guys. Thank you for bringing me up the right way. Caitence- Thank you for being my first real girlfriend. And I know what I said to you at Lori's funeral. I want you know that I didn't mean it…" Cait started sobbing when she read the last line. "It wasn't your fault. That's all I would like to say. Sincerely, Merton J. Dingle." She looked up from the letter to see a very upset Becky being taken to the parking lot by her parents. "Thank you." Cait said as she stepped down off the podium. She realized that everyone was leaving in a big pack waling towards to parking lot. She turned to follow them, but not before she stopped by the grave, knelt down and picked up a handful of frozen ground. She threw the dirt onto the casket. "So long, Merton…" She whispered. She then turned away and began walking back towards her car.  
  
THE END 


End file.
